Where: Bird Rock Coffee, 947 S Coast Hwy 101, Suite D101, Encinitas, CA 92024
Open: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily
What: Light roast, Ecuador Alambi AAA
Tasting notes: Blackberry marmalade, sugar cane, vanilla cream
Find them at: https://birdrockcoffee.com • @birdrockcoffeeroasters on Instagram
What I’m listening to: Vampire Weekend, “Oxford Comma”*
Honestly, I forgot that Bird Rock Coffee Roasters opened a cafe in downtown Encinitas. I don’t blame myself. I blame Bird Rock Coffee Roasters. They have 10 — 10! — cafes now, including their roasting space on Morena Boulevard in Bay Park.
I stopped at The Lumberyard when I saw a sign for Grounded hanging from the white-trimmed, red-bricked building, which turned out to be a furniture store. The shop was neither open nor serving coffee.
I was still thirsty. I whipped out my trusty paper map, and…just kidding. Having a map on my phone is the only reason I keep the phone. Bird Rock was just around the corner. Part of me was thrilled because I’d get coffee soon, likely a pretty good one, but part of me also started to gear up for the stress of an extremely fast-paced, high-energy engagement at the coffee bar. Bird Rock Coffee is nothing if not busy all the time.
The door is propped open, and as I cross the threshold, I face another unexpected twist to the morning. It is calm. Quiet even. It is just me and two baristas who’ve clearly learned the age-old hospitality lesson, “If you’ve got time to lean, you’ve got time to clean.” They’re working away behind the counter, making everything gleam.
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“How can we help you today?” one of the baristas says.**
“Can I get a cup of coffee?” I ask, and away we go.
It is easy to order at Bird Rock Coffee. They have great signage near the register, especially on their batch brews. “Ecuador! Natural! Washed!” says one sign. You can order like Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail.
They prepare my coffee, and I look around. It’s a smaller space than other BRCRs I’ve been to. In one door, ogle the pastry case, order at the counter, and out the other. There isn’t much seating inside. This isn’t a complaint. I almost never sit inside if I can help it. That is why I live here in Southern California.
There are plenty of spots to post up on the other side of the front window under the overhang of the building and more than you’d ever need in the commons area by the fountains just to the north of the entryway.
“Where is everyone?” I ask.
“You timed it right. You just missed everyone. Look out by the fountain,” a barista replies.** They are right. The gods of the line smiled upon me today. Every table with an umbrella in the courtyard is full. Bird Rock’s iconic teal logo pops from all the white coffee takeaway cups.
I take my coffee out front to sip, relax, and listen to some pretty good indie pop-rock jams being played inside. Vampire Weekend, Passion Pit, Grizzly Bear, and Peter, Bjorn & John comprise the morning’s soundtrack.
They go well with my coffee which is full of flavor that only seems to get richer and fuller as it cools. The tasting notes lean sweet, and the sugary taste seems to sit on my lips. The sun comes out. I decide to wander. I find myself in an indie art gallery nearby, drinking my coffee, humming notes from one of the tunes I heard at the cafe, and wondering why I don’t get down to Encinitas more often.
*Warning: People get up in arms about the Oxford Comma. There is some adult language in this song. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ptM7FzyjtRk
**Or something to that effect. I didn’t actually write it down, but it seems like a reasonable assumption considering I had coffee just moments later. Consider all the quotes here paraphrased.
Want to hear the stories of local coffee entrepreneurs or learn how to brew a better cup of coffee at home? Listen to the Coffee People and Coffee Smarter podcasts featuring lots of local coffee roasters like Crossings Coffee, Mostra Coffee, and Ignite Coffee Company. You can even stream the latest episodes at The Coast News podcast page!
